The Collected Lyrics of Hafiz of Shiraz [Paperback]

Hafiz (Author), Peter Avery (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2007

Háfiz is honored as the greatest lyric poet of Iran and the D'ván-i Háfiz, his collected poetry, is without doubt one of the world's greatest literary achievements. Translated here from the edition of Parv'z Nát'l Khánlar', the 486 poems have been rendered as literally as possible while trying to convey some sense of the original poetry to the reader who lacks knowledge of Persian. The ghazals are introduced and presented with extensive annotation by one of today's most eminent scholars of Persian literature. This is the first complete translation of the Divan-i Hafiz in many decades.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Avery OBE, was born in Derby, England, in 1923. One of today's most eminent Persian scholars, he was for years Lecturer in Persian Studies in the University of Cambridge where he still lives. His works include A translation of The Ruba'iyat Of Omar Khayyam, with poet John Heath-Stubbs, and The Speech of the Birds, the Mantiqu't-tair of Faridu'd Din.

Product Details

• Paperback: 604 pages
• Publisher: Archetype (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1901383091
• ISBN-13: 978-1901383096
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,252,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hafiz of Shiraz was widely regarded as an infidel in his day. Today he is recognized in the East not only for the excellence of his poetry, but also as a Sufi illuminate. His major work, The Diwan, is found beside the Koran in the homes of the devout. In the West, Hafiz--a contemporary of Dante--is admired for his love-poetry; Goethe, among others, acknowledged his influence.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Avery translates ALL of Hafiz, July 24, 2010

By 

Geoff Puterbaugh (Chiang Mai, T. Suthep, A. Muang Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Collected Lyrics of Hafiz of Shiraz (Paperback)

For better or worse, Avery has chosen to translate the collected lyrics of Hafiz into prose.

So he can be forthrightly compared with the prose translation done by Reza Saberi. There are very few differences, and the only ones that seem to matter arise from the fact that Avery is a native speaker of English, while Saberi is not.

So one may hope that the stage has been set for a poetic version of Hafiz! I strongly suspect that Hafez is untranslatable, just like the verse of Pushkin. But maybe someone will surprise us....